Justin Sandercoe has thought long and hard about how to teach people to play the guitar, and how to do this over the internet. He has come up with a well-designed series of courses that will take you from nowhere to proficiency. I tried to learn how to play years ago, using books, and got nowhere. I've been using Justin's site for just over a year and I feel I've made real progress. What's more, Justin offers his lessons for free - a boon for any young player who has the urge to play, but whose pockets are empty. I've seen and used other sites for learners: none of them offer as clearly marked a road as Justin does.

Electric guitar: Well the world of electric guitars is in some ways more complex, as there are all kinds of different looks and technologies. And it’s not good enough to just have a guitar, you need to buy an amplifier as well. I will just recommend mid-level stuff that’s worked for me based on my preferences, but if you like “stuff” and collecting gear, you’ll find playing the guitar to be a deeply satisfying hobby :)

I am a beginner- I learned more in a week of using Guitar Tricks than I did in two weeks of apps that listen to you play. The instructions are excellent- well presented and easy to understand. My 12 year old and I are learning together- me on a nylon string acoustic and him on an electric and the lessons are well suited to both of us. The only thing that keeps me from putting a 5 is that the app could use options for some of the things available on the full website such as the tools and being able to mark lessons as complete. It would also be a great feature if the music sheets would scroll down with the songs as they are played - songs that are copyrighted can’t be printed which means it is impossible to play along without memorizing the song.
Surprisingly, for a free site, Justin Guitar offers a few free tools and apps to help guitarists with their lessons. The most interesting of these are the series of apps available for download on the iTunes store (so they will only work with iOS). These include a Time Trainer Metronome, a Guitar Note Trainer, and a Blues Lick app – which brings together Justin’s weekly Blues Lick series.
Tony started playing guitar at the age of 14. At age 18 he relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota to attend Music Tech of Minneapolis. Through the years he has played throughout the upper midwest and most currently in the Ark-La-Tex area, With his band, SUPERUNKNOWN. Tony teaches all styles of Rock, Metal, Blues, Progressive, Latin Rock and Classical.
Her performance of his song "Turn To Tell" was available as the B-side on the "Call Off The Search" UK single. The song can also be heard on the South African release of the album "Call Off The Search", which earned Sandercoe his first platinum disc. He is also featured in the video clip of the same song, found on the bonus DVD of the UK album release.
The review isn’t sponsored or endorsed in any way. This is our view of the platform of GuitarTricks and it is up to each reader to decide if we are a trusty resource for information. You can always get the free trial (without clicking on any link if it troubles you in any way) and you can come back here and let us know if you agree with our review or if you think its a clumsy sales page in disguise! 🙂
These reviews are repasted everywhere and a primary difference always given between GuitarTricks and JamPlay is the price. This being the case, it is worth noting that JamPlay also has a yearly subscription offer which lowers the price substantially. The reviewer noted that the annual membership brings the monthly fee down to $10.75. I don’t believe it was mentioned in the JamPlay review (at least not when I read it) that the annual fee there brings the monthly fee down to about $11.66. Additionally, it is relatively easy to find a 10% of coupon code for any membership at JamPlay which brings the monthly fee down around $10.50!

The Peavey Chord Buddy is a useful and intuitive teaching tool for those who are just now picking up the guitar. It fits onto the neck of a wide range of electric and acoustic models. The colored circles show where to correctly place fingers to play different notes and how to combine them into the primary chords. As you progress in your skill level, the tabs can be removed one at a time from this guitar buddy until you can play on your own. Included is a song book filled with classics from a range of genres. This guitar chord buddy also comes with an instructional DVD.

GuitarTricks has many incredible resources including theory, techniques, styles, and even videos on how to play songs. If you are a beginner or early intermediate this could be a very helpful resource. The instructors are all reputable and since some of them choose to cover a similar style or technique you have the option to learn the same material but from an instructor who matches better with your learning style. The only drawback is that they do not have much for more advanced players. Customer service is very quick to respond to messages and make all processes quick and simple.
One other cool thing about electric guitars– you can plug them into your computer and use a program like Apple’s Garageband as an amplifier. You can basically have 100’s of classic sounds available virtually. You can “jam” virtually with your computer and create full-on recordings on your laptop. You’ll just need a “pre-amp,” which is a device that amplifies the signal from your guitar before it sends it to your computer. I’d recommend something like the Focusrite Scarlett
This is a $25 complimentary, promotional gift card that can be used on any product at www.sharperimage.com.This card will be delivered along with your purchased items, in the brown shipping box. It will not be replaced if lost or stolen. This card will not be exchangeable for cash, except where required by law. Other conditions may apply. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion or discount code. This promotional gift card does expire. Please see the back of your promotional gift card for your unique redemption code, expiration date, and complete terms and conditions.
Overall, I believe that the Chordbuddy guitar learning system does have its purposes. It's a good tool to keep children, senior citizens, or people with disabilities motivated and eager to learn how to play the guitar. One of the main issues is that users aren't able to easily attach the device to their guitar which I believe could be improved upon. However, if done properly, the Chordbuddy should work fine and allow you to strum clear sounding chords in a matter of minutes.
Try out different strumming patterns and rhythms. Once you're able to produce a good sounding chord, try strumming it at different tempos and rhythms. Rhythm is based on your strumming pattern, and how long you're holding your notes. Try a basic 1-2-3-4 beat, otherwise known as a 4/4. The number on the top represents how many beats there are in the measure. Try strumming up and down in different progressions to create a different sound for your rhythm. Once you get a basic rhythm down, you can start to incorporate quicker or slower strumming.[8]
The above diagram may look confusing... fear not, it's one of the most common methods of explaining notes on the guitar and is actually quite easy to read. The above represents the neck of the guitar when looked at head on. The first vertical line on the left of the diagram is the sixth string. The line to the right of that is the fifth string. And so on. The horizontal lines in the diagram represent the frets on the guitar... the space between the top horizontal line, and the one below it is the first fret. The space between that second horizontal line from the top and the one below it is the second fret. And so on. The "0" above the diagram represents the open string for the string it is positioned above. Finally, the black dots are indicators that these notes should be played.
The Peavey Chord Buddy is a useful and intuitive teaching tool for those who are just now picking up the guitar. It fits onto the neck of a wide range of electric and acoustic models. The colored circles show where to correctly place fingers to play different notes and how to combine them into the primary chords. As you progress in your skill level, the tabs can be removed one at a time from this guitar buddy until you can play on your own. Included is a song book filled with classics from a range of genres. This guitar chord buddy also comes with an instructional DVD.
This course aims to get you ready to play the guitar as soon as possible, so we only cover the absolute essentials. Learn how to maintain your guitar and gain the basics to play both lead and rhythm guitar. This is great for those who have played some guitar in the past but want to brush up the basics. For complete beginners, try our Introduction to Guitar Playing course.
This class is perfect for beginners who are ready to build their guitar repertoire. You’ll learn the major scale, both vertically and horizontally, as well as open position scales. Barre chords and basic chords in open position will give you a great starting point for the rest of your guitar journey. Once you get down these essentials you’ll be ready to take on any new challenges!
I have checked out Justin's site and found it to be comprehensive and informative. I have always felt that learning about music and especially music theory applied to the guitar, is helpful in finding your own unique voice on the instrument and expanding your creative horizons. Along with his insight into teaching and his fantastic abilities on the instrument, Justin has created a powerful go-to-place for anyone interested in exploring the instrument to their potential. Just don't hurt yourself.
i like that lessons are small enough to focus on one single thing for each day/lesson. progress is also slower giving you time to learn chords and strumming. I personally spend cca few hours on each day - prolonging 1 day to few days. it's very exciting to see me as total musical anti-talent play first few chords and even songs. Many thanks to instructor
The review isn’t sponsored or endorsed in any way. This is our view of the platform of GuitarTricks and it is up to each reader to decide if we are a trusty resource for information. You can always get the free trial (without clicking on any link if it troubles you in any way) and you can come back here and let us know if you agree with our review or if you think its a clumsy sales page in disguise! 🙂
When you play the right note or chord, you will hear it. It will be a pleasant sound, it will be clear and won't have any blocked string sounds (unless it needs to, but you'll get to that later). To play a note or chord correctly, you have to get your fingers in the right position and press as hard as you can on the frets; it will become a habit if you practice enough.

* Detune dive bomb - A.K.A. Poor man's dive bomb. On guitars with non locking string nuts, you can simulate a dive bomb by turning the tuning key of the low E string down while the note is ringing. This trick is great when used on hard tail bridge guitars with no floating tremolos. You'll have to know how to tune a guitar by ear if you intend to use this trick frequently.

This is why it’s important to have someone that holds you accountable for prolonging your learning and practicing, regardless of whether it’s a musical instrument, or a sport, or any other after-school matter. Someone to keep you motivated. And if you decide to make your passion a profession, someone to guide you along the way on how to find the right opportunities for paid gigs, or even a full-time career in playing the Guitar.
AGE CAN’T HINDER YOU – Working off of muscle memory and visual assistance, ChordBuddy is designed for players of every age. In fact, ChordBuddy is well-suited for those looking to play guitar with arthritis, offering a pain-free method of playing your favorite song. Utilizing ChordBuddy also allows you to learn the guitar on your own, eliminating the need for long guitar lessons with an instructor, which can result in prolonged joint pain.